By Jessica Hoover
Mae Farmer, a sophomore at Hamilton Southeastern High School, has been chosen to compete in the Miss Indiana Teen USA Pageant from Oct. 21-22 as the Fishers representative. Farmer, 15, said her age would have signified a completely different milestone in her life had she not been adopted from China when she was a baby.
“When you’re 15, the age I am now, if you’re still in an orphanage in China you get kicked out to live on the street,” Farmer said. “It’s crazy that that could have been my life, but now I live in Fishers, and I have a great house and a great family and amazing friends and an amazing community.”
Farmer is very involved in her school with cheerleading, orchestra, musicals, all honors and AP classes and more. She said she decided to add even more to her busy life by applying to enter the pageant. Competitors of the Miss Indiana Teen USA Pageant are between the ages of 14-19, and the winner will become the Indiana representative for the Miss Teen USA Pageant. According to Farmer, the winner of the pageant will usually take a platform that is important to them. She said if she wins, she would like to raise more awareness and support for positive self-image and mental health.
“It just really makes me sad that a lot of people aren’t happy with how they look,” Farmer said. “Our generation is the next generation. We’re the ones that are going into the workforce. I feel like if you can’t be happy with yourself, how are we supposed to make a positive change on our economy and the business world?”
The pageant will consist of three sections: the interview, activewear and evening gown. To help raise funds for the pageant, Farmer has created a GoFundMe page and has even secured some sponsors. Some are sponsoring in services such as hair styling, and some are sponsoring by giving donations.
Farmer said she thinks that this pageant will help her prepare for her future, and after high school hopes to pursue her dream of going to Harvard Law School.
